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Computer Case

The housing that contains internal components like the power supply, motherboard, CPU, memory, disk drives, and adapter cards, made of materials like plastic, steel, or aluminum.

Form Factor

The physical design and look of a device, with desktop computer cases available in various types such as horizontal, full-size tower, compact tower, and all-in-one.

Power Supply

Device converting alternating current (AC) from wall outlets into direct current (DC) for computer components, with form factors like AT, ATX, ATX12V, and EPS12V.

Connectors

Various keyed connectors in a power supply used to power internal components like the motherboard and disk drives.

Power Supply Voltage

Different voltages provided by connectors, including 3.3V, 5V, and 12V, with variations like single rail, dual rail, or multi rail power supplies.

Motherboard

The main board of a computer, a printed circuit board containing buses that interconnect electronic components, with components like CPU, RAM, expansion slots, chipset, and BIOS/UEFI chip.

Motherboard Form Factors

Different sizes and shapes of motherboards like ATX, Micro-ATX, and ITX, determining how components attach, power supply needed, and the shape of the computer case.

CPU

The central processing unit responsible for executing commands, interpreting instructions, and handling data, with different architectures like Pin Grid Array (PGA) and Land Grid Array (LGA).

Cooling Systems

Methods to keep computer components cool, including active solutions like case fans and passive solutions like heat sinks.

Memory

Different types of memory chips like Read-Only Memory (ROM) and Random Access Memory (RAM), storing data in bytes, with ROM being nonvolatile and RAM being volatile.

RAM

Random Access Memory that enhances system performance by increasing the memory capacity to hold and process programs and files.

ROM

Read-only memory chips where information is written during manufacturing and cannot be erased or re-written.

Memory Modules

Components like DIP chips or memory modules that contain RAM and are placed into memory slots on the motherboard.

Cache Memory

Fastest memory like SRAM used for storing frequently accessed data and instructions by the CPU.

Memory Errors

Occur when data is not stored correctly, and methods like Nonparity, Parity, and ECC are used to detect and correct errors.